"The birth of Mary, the mystic mother of Jesus, of John the Baptist,
the precursor of Jesus, and of Jesus, the mystic prophet of Israel,
whom Israel rejected, occurred in that order chronologically, and
are told in that order. They are all interconnected. Zakariya
prayed for no ordinary son. He and his wife were past the age of
parenthood. Seeing the growth of the mystic girl Mary, he prayed
for some mystic child from God - 'from Thee, a progeny that is pure'.
Perhaps he had adoption in his mind. Did he want to adopt Mary ?
To his surprise, he is given a son in the flesh, ushered in by a
Mystic Sign." Yusuf Ali commentary # 380